Here are 4 books that Rejection fans have personally recommended if you like Rejection. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Babel

Mark David Gerson Author Of Sara's Year

From Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Novelist Writing coach Traveler (Dark) chocolate Lover

Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Mark David Gerson Why Mark loves this book

I don’t read much science fiction these days, but this (if it really is SciFi) drew me in and hooked me almost immediately with its alternate universe and truly original storyline.

By R. F. Kuang ,

Why should I read it?

33 authors picked Babel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER

'One for Philip Pullman fans'
THE TIMES

'An ingenious fantasy about empire'
GUARDIAN

'Fans of THE SECRET HISTORY, this one is an automatic buy'
GLAMOUR

'Ambitious, sweeping and epic'
EVENING STANDARD

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

Oxford, 1836.

The city of dreaming spires.

It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.

And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.

Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by…


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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

Book cover of Eros the Bittersweet

Ekaterina Landgren

From Ekaterina's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Unknown Author Why Ekaterina loves this book

I love grammar-driven arguments about love and limerence!

By Anne Carson ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Eros the Bittersweet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time

A book about romantic love, Eros the Bittersweet is Anne Carson's exploration of the concept of "eros" in both classical philosophy and literature. Beginning with, "It was Sappho who first called eros 'bittersweet.' No one who has been in love disputes her," Carson examines her subject from numerous points of view, creating a lyrical meditation in the tradition of William Carlos Williams's Spring and All and William H. Gass's On Being Blue.

Epigrammatic, witty, ironic, and endlessly entertaining, Eros is an utterly original book.


Book cover of James

Laura Renauld Author Of Bear's Bicycle

From Laura's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Moment miner Compost captain Library lover

Laura's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Laura Renauld Why Laura loves this book

I love books that reimagine a story that is well known, challenging reader's assumptions about the characters or the circumstances they find themselves in, while also standing on its own for readers that haven't read the inspiration. JAMES brings Huck Finn's companion to life, giving him wit, intelligence, and agency. I read it twice, back-to-back. Easily my favorite read of 2025!

By Percival Everett ,

Why should I read it?

102 authors picked James as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024


'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha

James by Percival Everett is a profound and ferociously funny meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love, which reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From the author of The Trees, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new…


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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Hangman

Unknown Author

By Maya Binyam ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hangman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024

'A brilliantly surreal story of exile and homecoming' GUARDIAN'S BOOK OF THE DAY

'A slim, stark, and captivatingly enigmatic debut' NEW YORKER

A man returns home to sub-Saharan Africa after twenty-six years living in exile in America. When he arrives, he finds that he doesn't recognize the country or anyone in it. Thankfully, someone at the airport knows him-a man who calls him brother. As they travel to this man's house, the purpose of his visit comes into focus: he is here to find his real brother, who is dying.

Hangman is…


Book cover of Babel
Book cover of Eros the Bittersweet
Book cover of James

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